Quiz: Howstuffworks

Only Baby Boomers Can Match These Famous Mascots to Their Brands

Jacqueline Samaroo

Image: Pillsbury

About This Quiz

They're a bunch of real characters! Come bask in the nostalgia with your favorite mascots as we look back at some of advertising's best-loved icons.

Selling a brand has always been hard work, requiring a certain level of skill and finesse. These mascots, however, have made it look really easy and have gone down in history as some of the most recognizable icons of all time.

Whether in print, on screen or out in the great, big world, each has taken on a life of its own, serving its brand and company well. Many of the favorites are meant to appeal to children and are related to breakfast cereals. We can probably guess which ones immediately "pop" into your head. Why not hop into the quiz and see if we're right!

Many popular mascots are based on cute cartoon animal characters but there are some famous real-people in the batch. Furthermore, not all of the best mascots were funny or cuddly characters - think big and "Green" or perhaps muscular and "Clean," and you'll see what we mean!

Baby Boomers should definitely get all of these correct but, hey, Gen Xers, Millennials and Centennials you might just be pleasantly surprised at how many of them you know, too! See how well you score - take the quiz!

Walt Disney / ZarakPhoto via YouTube

Can you spot the brand this loveable mouse represents?

Sun-Maid raisins

Walt Disney Company

Chef Boyardee canned pastas

Cocoa Puffs cereal

Disney’s Mickey Mouse is a trailblazer in many ways. He appeared in one of the very first cartoons made with synchronized sound – "Steamboat Willie" (1928), which was Mickey’s debut film. Fifty years later (1978), Mickey became the first cartoon character to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Chiquita Brands International Sàrl / Jersey Coaster via YouTube

Which of these brands uses this fruity mascot?

Planters snacks

Lucky Charms cereal

Chiquita bananas

Honey Nut Cheerios cereal

The Miss Chiquita character was created by Dik Browne, the cartoonist who created and drew the Hägar the Horrible comic strip. She was introduced as the mascot for Chiquita Brands in 1944 as an animated banana dressed like a woman. It wasn’t until 1984 that she was drawn as an actual woman.

KFC / Yum! Brands / Sean Mc via YouTube

Which franchise does this famous “military” mascot represent?

KFC restaurants

9Lives cat food

Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles cereal

Pillsbury Company baking products

The Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food chain was founded in 1930 by “Colonel” Harland Sanders. It began as a roadside restaurant and became a franchise in 1952. Sanders fully embraced the “Colonel Sanders” character and continued to appear in full costume, representing KFC, even after he sold the company. He was buried in his trademark costume when he died at age 90.

Procter & Gamble / Izzuddin Bin Ahmad via YouTube

Which brand is associated with this muscular, hygienic mascot?

Michelin tires

Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup

Mr. Clean all-purpose cleaner

Kool-Aid drink mixes

Mr. Clean is described by the company as “a man of few words but many muscles.” He was created in 1957 and although the character was modeled after a sailor, he is frequently mistaken for a genie (due to his bald head, folded arms, ​and earring). The company has also created Mr. Clean’s background story which reveals that he was found as the “cutest, cleanest” baby by a farmer and his wife.

Quaker Oats Company / PepsiCo / Rob's Greatest Hits via YouTube

Can you recognize the brand this seafaring mascot proudly represents?

Chicken of the Sea tuna

Cap’n Crunch cereal

Gerber baby products

Green Giant vegetables

Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch was created in 1963, the same year the Cap’n Crunch cereal was first introduced. He has never been drawn with the full four stripes of a real-life naval captain but with one to three stripes, instead. Cap’n Crunch does deserve the title, however, as he is the captain of the S.S. Guppy and her crew as they go sailing on the Sea of Milk!

Procter & Gamble / Vintage Fanatic via YouTube

Do you remember the brand with which the Mr. Whipple mascot is associated?

Keebler snacks

Cracker Jack snacks

Morton Salt

Charmin bathroom tissue

“Please don't squeeze the Charmin!” was the catchphrase used by supermarket manager Mr. Whipple in the early Charmin bathroom tissue commercials. Mr. Whipple, however, loves squeezing the Charmin and later begins persuading others to go ahead and squeeze it so they can see for themselves just how soft it is.

Parker Brothers / Hasbro / MYSATURDAYMORNINGS / via YouTube

What is this brand name associated with this wealthy mascot?

Pringles potato chips snack

Monopoly board game

Ty-D-Bol toilet cleaners

McDonald’s restaurants

Monopoly has used Rich Uncle Pennybags as its mascot since the 1930s but did not give the character a name until 1946. Original versions of the game included $15,140 worth of play money which was upgraded to $20,580 in 2008. To celebrate its 80th anniversary, 80 Monopoly games sold in France contained $20,580 in real money!

Conagra Brands / Namzso1 via YouTube

Which of these brands “cooked up” this beloved mascot?

Chef Boyardee pastas

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes cereal

Walt Disney Company

Laughing Cow Cheese

The Chef Boyardee mascot is styled after the brand’s founder, Italian-American Chef Ettore Boiardi (also known as Hector Boyardee). Boiardi began training as a chef in Italy and after moving to the U.S., he went on to become head chef at New York’s Plaza Hotel. He opened his first restaurant in 1926 and began manufacturing his famous spaghetti sauce in 1928.

Borden Dairy Company / Tube Outpost via YouTube

Which brand is represented by this bovine mom of four?

Alka-Seltzer

Borden Dairy Company

Tootsie Pops

Quaker Oats

Elsie the Cow was introduced as a mascot in 1936 and was first represented by a live cow in 1939 at the New York World’s Fair. Elsie’s mate is Elmer (the Elmer’s Glue mascot) and they have four children (calves): Beulah, Beauregard, and twins Larabee and Lobelia.

Which of these brands uses the mascot shown here?

Green Giant vegetables

Laughing Cow Cheese

Pillsbury Company baking products

Morton Salt

The Morton Salt Girl and the accompanying slogan, “When It Rains It Pours,” were first used by the company in 1914. Both highlight the fact that Morton’s salt does not suffer from caking in damp conditions. In fact, the company is said to have produced the first free-flowing salt in 1911 when it began adding an anti-caking agent to its product.

Kraft Foods / Betamax King via YouTube

Do you know which brand this well-dressed peanut represents?

Cracker Jack snacks

Planters snacks

Cocoa Puffs cereal

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

In 1916, 10 years after it was founded, Planters Peanut Company decided to host a contest for designs of its new company mascot. The winner was a young boy named Antonio Gentile, whose sketch was later “polished” up by a commercial artist, who added the cane, top hat and monocle to Gentile’s original character.

Thai Union Group / MMacG1167 via YouTube

Which of these food brands uses the mascot shown here?

Quaker Oats

Honey Nut Cheerios cereal

Chicken of the Sea tuna

Trix cereal

The Chicken of the Sea mermaid was first introduced in 1952. Her design is said to be inspired by the actress who played Yeoman Janice Rand on the first "Star Trek" television series. The mermaid was nameless until 2014 when she was given the name Catalina following a nationwide contest in which the company received roughly 50,000 suggestions for what her name should be.

Post Foods / Hanna-Barbera / Ads "R" Us via YouTube

The Flintstones characters are associated with which of these brands?

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes cereal

KFC restaurants

Campbell’s Soup

Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles cereal

Post Consumer Brands introduced the Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles cereals in 1970 as a reinvention of its Sugar Rice Krinkles cereal. The cereal is named after the daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, created by Hanna-Barbera. The company touts Pebbles cereal as “the first brand ever created around a media character.”

Procter & Gamble / Kellogg's / Chaz Taylor via YouTube

This familiar face serves as the mascot for which of these brands?

Lucky Charms cereal

Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal

Pringles potato chips snack

McDonald’s restaurants

Mr. Julius Pringles is the full name of the iconic Pringles potato chips mascot. Some fans may recall that when he was first introduced in 1968, Mr. Pringles was drawn with eyebrows.

Keebler / United Biscuits / ewjxn via YouTube

Do you recognize the brand advertised by these loveable elves?

Keebler snacks

9Lives cat food

Charmin bathroom tissue

Michelin tires

The Keebler Company was founded in 1853 and its highly recognizable mascots were created more than 100 years later, in 1969. According to their story, the Keebler elves, led by Ernie Keebler, bake their Keebler treats in a magic oven inside the Hollow Tree (or Fac-Tree) located in Sylvan Glen.

Can you identify the brand associated with this mascot?

Sun-Maid raisins

Mr. Clean all-purpose cleaner

Kool-Aid drink mixes

Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup

The original Sun-Maid Girl is actually Lorraine Collett Petersen who in 1915, worked handing out promotional packets of raisins for the company. Wearing her mother’s red sunbonnet, she posed for a painting which became the iconic Sun-Maid mascot. That painting and the sunbonnet (now faded to pink) were kept by Lorraine Collett until 1974 when she donated them to the company.

Green Giant / B&G Foods / communicatrix via YouTube

This “happy” titan serves as mascot for which of these brands?

Green Giant vegetables

Monopoly board game

Alka-Seltzer

Nestlé Nesquik

“The Valley of the Jolly Green Giant” is located close to the town of Blue Earth, Minnesota. In 1978, the townspeople got permission to erect a 55-foot, 4-ton, fiberglass statue of the smiling giant that has become a booming tourist attraction.

General Mills / Antifrodis via YouTube

Can you spot the brand represented by this rabbit?

Chiquita bananas

Trix cereal

Ty-D-Bol toilet cleaners

Borden Dairy Company

Illustrator Joe Harris created the Trix rabbit and the accompanying line, “Silly rabbit! Trix are for kids.” The rabbit first appeared in commercials for the cereal in 1959 but has only ever tasted the Trix on two occasions, both thanks to box top voting campaigns launched by the company in 1976 and 1980.

General Mills / ScribasDotCom via YouTube

Which of these brands uses BuzzBee as a mascot?

Walt Disney Company

Tootsie Pops

Cap’n Crunch cereal

Honey Nut Cheerios cereal

Honey Nut Cheerios and BuzzBee the mascot, were introduced in 1979. BuzzBee was named by a 5th-grader following a nationwide contest and is sometimes referred to simply as Buzz. In 2017, to make a statement about the world’s declining bee population, the company pulled BuzzBee from the Honey Nut Cheerios box design and began giving away millions of Cosmos Sensation Mix Seeds packets inside boxes of the cereal.

Tootsie Roll Industries / firedemon727 via YouTube

Do you know the brand this fine-feathered mascot represents?

Morton Salt

McDonald’s restaurants

Sun-Maid raisins

Tootsie Pops

Mr. Owl, along with a cow, a fox and a turtle first appeared in a 1969 TV commercial featuring the now famous question, “How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” According to the company, it has received more than 20,000 letters from children worldwide with answers ranging from “a low of 100 licks to a high of 5,800 licks” with the average being between 600 and 800. It sent a Clean Stick Award certificate to each child!

Pinnacle Foods / Sean Mc via YouTube

With which brand is this bottle-shaped mascot associated?

Pringles potato chips snack

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Laughing Cow Cheese

Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup

Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup has been around since 1961 and although, according to the company, the well-known mascot always had a first name, it wasn’t revealed until 2009. A hint of her name can be found in her mission statement: “To spread joy with my tasty syrup!” (In case you haven’t guessed it – it’s Joy!)

Kellogg Company / VintageTVCommercials via YouTube

Do you know to which “Gr-r-reat” product this mascot is linked?

Chicken of the Sea tuna

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes cereal

Alka-Seltzer

Nestlé Nesquik

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes has used Tony the Tiger as its mascot ever since it was first marketed in 1952. His “They're Gr-r-reat!” slogan is as much a part of his character as the stylish red bandana he always wears around his neck.

Big Heart Pet Brands / xntryk1 via YouTube

Can you name the brand this cute mascot represents?

Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal

Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles cereal

9Lives cat food

Gerber baby products

Morris the cat has been the mascot for 9Lives cat food since 1968 when the original model cat was rescued from an animal shelter. Apart from being a famous mascot, Morris is also a movie star. He appeared as Cat in the 1973 film, "Shamus," alongside Burt Reynolds.

Michelin / Bionic Disco via YouTube

Do you recognize the brand which uses Bibendum as its mascot?

Chef Boyardee canned pastas

Michelin tires

Campbell’s Soup

Cracker Jack snacks

Bibendum, the Michelin Man, was first conceived by the company’s founders, brothers Édouard and André Michelin. He has been in existence since 1898 and his appearance has been adjusted several times so that he reflects changes in the appearance of tires over the years.

Ty-D-Bol / JPCommercials via YouTube

Which of these brands uses this mascot?

Ty-D-Bol toilet cleaners

Morton Salt

Pillsbury Company baking products

Toys "R" Us stores

Ty-D-Bol in-tank toilet bowl cleaners have been around since 1957. Along with the iconic Ty-D-Bol Man, they are famously known as the first cleaners to turn toilet water blue.

Quaker Oats Company / PepsiCo / haikarate4 via YouTube

Which brand is represented by this mascot?

Planters snacks

Borden Dairy Company

Charmin bathroom tissue

Quaker Oats

The Quaker Oats man became an official trademark for the company in 1877. According to the company, he is the very first breakfast cereal trademark in the U.S. While the Quaker Oats Company does not claim any ties to the Quaker religious group, it does state that the image and name were chosen as they represent “good quality and honest value.”

Borden / Frito-Lay / Sean Mc via YouTube

Can you name the brand served by this mascot?

Cracker Jack snacks

Keebler snacks

Nestlé Nesquik

Monopoly board game

Sailor Jack, the Cracker Jack mascot, is modeled after the 8-year-old grandson of one of the company’s founders. Sailor Jack’s faithful dog is named Bingo and he was drawn based on a stray dog adopted by one of the company’s partners.

Kraft Foods / KuroshiXXX via YouTube

Can you identify this mascot’s brand?

Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup

Kool-Aid drink mixes

Mr. Clean all-purpose cleaner

Trix cereal

Although Kool-Aid Man was technically created in 1975, he is actually an upgrade of the company’s previous mascot, Pitcher Man, created in 1954. Since his arrival, Kool-Aid Man has been the star of a Marvel Comic Book and an Atari video game. He is also very well known for his tendency to behave like a wrecking ball!

Gerber Products Company / Nestle / member berries via YouTube

Do you know with which brand this very recognizable mascot is associated?

Gerber baby products

Sun-Maid raisins

Lucky Charms cereal

9Lives cat food

The original Gerber Baby was selected in 1928 from an artist’s drawing of a 4-month-old baby. The artist, Dorothy Hope Smith, received $300 as prize money and the baby, Ann Turner Cook, has been the face of Gerber baby products ever since. She went on to become a teacher and taught for 26 years before retiring.

Kellogg Company / D Heine via YouTube

These energetic characters serve as mascots for which product?

Campbell’s Soup

KFC restaurants

Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal

Chicken of the Sea tuna

Kellogg’s Rice Krispies were introduced in 1928 and the now famous “Snap! Crackle! Pop!” tagline was first used by the company in 1929. The characters Snap, Crackle and Pop were created in 1933 and while all three were featured in advertising material, only Snap was shown on the cereal box. It wasn’t until 1941 that Crackle and Pop were added and the trio of elves have been together ever since!

McDonald’s / Bob Bybee via YouTube

Which of these brands uses this happy mascot?

Michelin tires

McDonald’s restaurants

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Monopoly board game

The role of Ronald McDonald has been played by many actors but the very first Ronald has a familiar face – even without the makeup. Willard Scott, who later became the well-known NBC-TV Today Show weatherman, was the first person inside the Ronald McDonald costume when the character debuted in the 1960s.

General Mills / nickstranger999 via YouTube

Which brand is represented by this zany bird?

Chiquita bananas

Cap’n Crunch cereal

Gerber baby products

Cocoa Puffs cereal

When Sonny the Cuckoo Bird debuted for Cocoa Puffs in the 1960s, he wasn’t alone. There was also his grandfather, Gramps, pairing up in the commercials with him as he went “cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!” The Gramps character was removed from advertising in the early 1970s but was given a comeback in several commercials in 2010.

Fromageries Bel / cdgngj11 (OLD) via YouTube

Can you tell which brand this happy dairy animal represents?

Walt Disney Company

Trix cereal

Laughing Cow Cheese

Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles cereal

Leon and Jules Bel founded The Laughing Cow company in France in 1921, at the same time creating its easily recognizable mascot. Known as “La Vache Qui Rit” in French, The Laughing Cow always has a cheerful expression and wears a pair of earrings that are actually Laughing Cow Cheese packets.

General Mills / pizzaguy2002 via YouTube

Do you recognize this mascot’s brand in this list?

Toys “R” Us stores

Keebler snacks

Borden Dairy Company

Lucky Charms cereal

This magical mascot goes by several names: Lucky; Lucky the Leprechaun; Sir Charms; and L.C. Leprechaun. He was created in 1963 and has been the cereal’s mascot ever since, except for a short while in 1975 when the company tested a new mascot, the absent-minded Waldo the Wizard. The company now refers to Waldo as “The forgotten Lucky Charms mascot.”

Pillsbury Company / General Mills / Smucker / Robert Cass via YouTube

Do you know the brand served by this mascot?

Planters snacks

Pillsbury Company baking products

Quaker Oats

Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal

​Most people know him as the Pillsbury Doughboy but his real name is, in fact, Poppin’ Fresh and he has a companion named Poppie Fresh. Along with Poppin’s son, Poppe, and his daughter, Bun-Bun, there are also Uncle Rollie and grandparents called, Granmommer and Granpopper. “Rounding” out the family are Flapjack, a dog and Biscuit, a cat.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. / TortUgA via YouTube

Which brand does this king of the jungle represent?

Green Giant vegetables

Mr. Clean all-purpose cleaner

Ty-D-Bol toilet cleaners

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

From 1916 to date, there have been seven lions featured as the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) mascot. The first was Slats (1916–1928) who was born at the Dublin Zoo and is the only MGM lion not shown roaring. He was followed by Jackie, Telly, Coffee, Tanner, and George. The current lion, Leo, has been used as the mascot since 1957.

Miles Laboratories / Bayer / Steve Stout via YouTube

Can you match this mascot to its brand?

Alka-Seltzer

Cap’n Crunch cereal

Toys “R” Us stores

Pringles potato chips snack

Speedy Alka-Seltzer was created in 1951 when Alka-Seltzer went looking for a mascot. The character was initially named Sparky but the name was changed so that it was in keeping with the company’s “Speedy Relief” tagline. Despite being shelved in the late 1960s to early 1970s, Speedy has gone on to become one of the most recognizable mascots today.

Toys “R” Us / Ads "R" Us via YouTube

Do you know which brand this playful mascot represents?

Charmin bathroom tissue

Tootsie Pops

Toys “R” Us stores

Cocoa Puffs cereal

Geoffrey the giraffe is one of those mascots who keep evolving with time. He was originally Dr. G. Raffe and after he became Geoffrey, his story was re-written to include a wife and two children, living in a lighthouse and driving around in the Geofferymobile. Years later, he was reinvented as a “light-hearted kid” and went through several design changes, including having his spots changed to stars.

Nestle / Roger Dunn via YouTube

Can you spot this bunny’s associated brand?

Nestlé Nesquik

KFC restaurants

Kool-Aid drink mixes

Honey Nut Cheerios cereal

Nesquik first came on the market in 1948 and three decades later, began using Quicky, the Nesquik Bunny, as its mascot. Although he was originally associated with the chocolate-flavored Nesquik, Quicky now represents the company’s entire line.

Campbell’s Soup Company / TV TOY MEMORIES via YouTube

Which of these products is associated with the mascots shown?

Chiquita bananas

Chef Boyardee canned pastas

Campbell’s Soup

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes cereal

The Campbell Soup Company was founded in 1869 and began producing its ready-to-eat tomato soup in 1895. In 1904, the company began using the Campbell’s Soup kids as its advertising mascots with them making their first appearance as streetcar advertisements.

Sponsored Links

About HowStuffWorks Play

How much do you know about dinosaurs? What is an octane rating? And how do you use a proper noun? Lucky for you, HowStuffWorks Play is here to help. Our award-winning website offers reliable, easy-to-understand explanations about how the world works. From fun quizzes that bring joy to your day, to compelling photography and fascinating lists, HowStuffWorks Play offers something for everyone. Sometimes we explain how stuff works, other times, we ask you, but we’re always exploring in the name of fun! Because learning is fun, so stick with us!

Get smarter every day! Subscribe & get 1 quiz every week.

Playing quizzes is free! We send trivia questions and personality tests every week to your inbox. By
clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our
privacy policy and confirming that you are 13
years old or over.